Srinagar: The Administrative Council (AC) which met here Thursday under the chairmanship of Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha approved the transfer of administrative control of Toshkhana Organisation from the Hospitality and Protocol Department to the Department of Culture.
An official spokesman in a statement issued here said that the ‘Toshkhana’ houses the royal gifts and antique items of the erstwhile Dogra rulers of Jammu and Kashmir.
In Jammu, the articles of the Toshkhana have been stored at Mubarak Mandi Heritage Complex, whereas the articles in Srinagar have been kept in a locker at Saddar Treasury, Srinagar.
The decision to transfer the administrative control of the Toshkhana to the Department of Culture would synchronise its functioning with the Department of Archives, Archaeology, and Museums under the Department of Culture, and citizens would be able to have better information about their heritage.
Further, the Administrative Council also sanctioned the transfer of sanctioned posts and incumbent staff of the ToshkhanaOrganisation to the Culture Department along with all records and immovable and moveable assets.
Advisor to LG Rajeev RaiBhatnagar, Chief Secretary Arun Kumar Mehta, and Principal Secretary to LG Nitishwar Kumar attended the meeting.